A senior call handler with the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust has received a national award for remaining “calm and reassuring” while guiding a caller through a difficult birth.

Nicola Turner was presented with the Emergency Medical Dispatcher of the Year UK 2020 Award during a virtual ceremony.

She was nominated for the accolade after directing the caller through the delivery before continuing to offer advice and reassurance until a crew from EEAST arrived.

Nicholas Jones, a senior ambulance operation centre manager with EEAST, said: “On behalf of the Trust, we would like congratulate Nicola on this fantastic achievement. She managed this challenging call amazingly, remained calm and reassuring and gave clear instructions to the caller.

“Every day our emergency call handlers come into work not knowing what situations they will be dealing with. They work tirelessly answering 999 calls and supporting our patients, their friends and relatives. They offer life-saving instructions on everything from CPR and childbirth to bleeding control, all whilst trying to gain as much information as possible for our attending crews.”